My First Fake Tan Experience and Xen-Tan Review

Hi loves! If you follow me on Twitter you’ll know I recently tried fake tanning for the first time and it was quite an ordeal! I’m a complete beginner so I thought I would share my experience, how the tanning product I used worked out and what I would do next time. I used the Xen-Tan Transformation Ultra in Ultra Dark, which is a weekly tanner so it should last a fair time. After looking at my legs today I think I’m hooked on self-tan so if I try any other products I’ll be sure to review those too.

The Prep

I saw a lot of videos saying to shave and exfoliate before you tan to stop it clinging unevenly to the drier parts of your skin. I think this definitely helped with stopping it looking streaky, but I would probably wait a few hours or overnight after you’ve shaved your legs because I think it clung to the hair follicles as they were irritated. I also forgot to moisturise the drier areas, like my knees and elbows which I wish I had done. I was so desperate to try the tan I didn’t prep properly, but it wasn’t too bad.

Application

I used the Xen-Tan Transformation Ultra Weekly Self-Tan in Ultra Dark. You’re probably wondering why I got ultra dark because my skin if very fair, but I got this in a Feel Unique Pick ‘n’ Mix so I didn’t get to choose the shade. However, it was fine because it instructs only leaving it on for one hour for a light/medium tan. If you want something a little darker they advise 3 hours, and the deepest tan will take 10 hours. I only left it on for an hour for a lighter tan and I like that it doesn’t take too long. I didn’t have a tanning mitt and it didn’t turn out too bad. It didn’t go streaky on patchy, which is amazing considering I’m a complete beginner. However, I’d still recommend a mitt to make sure it’s as smooth as possible. The second time I used a mitt and left it for half an hour longer and this worked out better for me!

I’m so impressed with this formula as I find it super easy to apply it nicely, but the only drawback is it applies clear. It’s hard to see where you’ve applied it, so I did end up missing one patch and making my right arm darker than my left. If you’re very conscious of how much you’ve used on each area I’m sure you’d be fine but if you’re really worried look for a mousse with a colour guard.

The Result

After an hour I washed this off just with water and I really didn’t notice much of a tan, but it does develop overnight. I’m not sure if all tans do this, so if you’re not used to it don’t judge the final colour by how it looks after one hour. I woke up the next day and was so happy. I’d read a review saying this goes very dark and orange, but I didn’t have that experience at all. Despite my natural skin being very fair and cool toned this tan did look natural. Leaving it on for an hour made me look like I’d just been on a long holiday, but nothing too crazy. This is definitely not orange in colour. I’m not sure how it would look if you left it longer but it looks the perfect undertone on me, and even says on the bottle that it’s olive toned. This did last a good five days before it even started to fade, and a week before I felt like I wanted to reapply it.

The Tanning Product

I’m actually super impressed with this! I though a clear formula called ultra dark would not go well but I found it really easy to work with. Take it in sections, being careful to use an even amount on each section and you’ll be fine! I love that you can customise the colour to how dark you want. Even if you have very fair skin you can still use this, and you can use this whether you want something more subtle or more intense. It’s £49.99 for a 236ml bottle, so a bit pricey for your first go just in case you don’t like it. If you can get a sample try it out because I did really like it. I’ll 100% be using this again and putting it on my Christmas list!

Next Time

Next time I’m definitely going to take more time with this. I’m going to shave earlier and make sure to moisturise my skin before I apply the tan. I’m also going to invest in a tanning mitt just to make it look as smooth as possible. Other than that, I’ll just be more conscious of how much I’m putting on each part of my body to stop one side of me getting darker than the other!

I hope you guys found this helpful! I’m a complete beginner, so if I can get a decent tan you can too! I really liked this tanning product but I’d love to know your favourite products! Hopefully my experience/what I did wrong will help you out, but if there’s anything else you want to know just leave a comment below. What are your best fake tanning tips?

Thanks for reading, I love you all!

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